Friday, February 19, 2010

My New Favorite Shampoo and Conditioner!

I am quite excited to tell all of you about a few of my new favorite things. Let me show you a picture before I get started, this is my new Shampoo and Conditioner:



I know, I know, it sounds crazy! Baking Soda? Apple Cider Vinegar? Believe me, when I first stumbled upon this crazy idea my initial reaction was astoundingly negative. I love shampoos and conditioners; they lather, they smell good, they make my hair silky smooth. Basically I thought it was just about the craziest hair care idea I had ever heard...until.... A few of the HHH gals and I were chatting and visiting one afternoon and I just happened to mention this idea to them. Lo and behold, not only had they heard of washing your hair with baking soda and then conditioning it with apple cider vinegar (acv), but Sondra told me that she had been using acv as a weekly rinse for years! After mulling it over and reading up on the baking soda/acv combo, I decided to try it out for myself. Almost three months later I couldn't be happier with the condition, cleanliness, and look of my hair. Give it try and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Before you go jump in the shower with your box of soda and bottle of acv let me tell you what I've learned and how I went about making the transition. First off you will have to try, try, and try again. Experiment with how much or little you use of the baking soda. Figuring out what method to use to get the soda and acv from their original containers onto my head was a trial and error process for me. Take some time and don't get discouraged when you try three ways before settling on one that works for you. (What works best for me is to dump a bunch of baking soda into a small Tupperware container, I then added a little bit of water at a time until I got a paste, I popped the lid on and store it my shower. For the acv I took a squeeze bottle and filled it one quarter of the way full with acv, then I filled it to the top with water, I popped the lid on and store that it my shower as well. Easy!)

Baking soda does not lather, that took some getting used to, but it works for me now. You'll have to experiment with how much or how little you use in your hair, and how often you wash your hair. I'll warn you that I found for me and my scalp, using too much/too often dried my skin out a bit. Now I wash my hair with a few globs of paste every two or three days. (just take a bit and rub it onto your scalp, into your roots, and work it through your hair. Make sure to really drench your hair before putting the baking soda on your hair. I work the soda through my hair, drench my head again, and leave it sit while I shave my legs).

For the acv, some people use it just once every two or three washings. Again, for me and my scalp, I use the acv every time I use the baking soda. Sometimes I just pour the acv over my head and immediately rinse it out again, if I feel my scalp is particularly dry I'll let it sit for just a minute before rinsing. The acv truly leaves my hair as shiny and silky as any conditioner.

Okay now, go on, grab your baking soda, grab your acv, grab your rubber ducky, and go jump in the shower. I doubt you'll turn back!

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